Conventional antenna systems utilizing, for example, wire, PIFA, resonant loop, chip, patch, stripline antennas and other similar traditional antenna configurations have, in the past, limited the functionality of wireless electronic devices due to power loss resulting from inefficiencies, and associated limitations on bandwidth and gain, coupling and detuning antenna impedance/resonance and other limitations perpetuated by antenna systems conventionally employed. A particular issue with such conventional antenna assemblies arises from antenna coupling with surrounding or adjacent surfaces adversely impacting radiation pattern and input match associated with use of a conventional open body antenna. Such coupling and detuning issues impose design limitations for attaining acceptable reception, resulting from, among other things, gain and bandwidth for radio frequency signals received and transmitted to the device. As a result, design configurations for wireless electronic devices providing the requisite physical size, radiation pattern, bandwidth and gain specifications facilitating optimal functionality for electronic devices fed thereby have heretofore been restricted by such limitations. Despite attempts to address such limitations and problems, for example, by reconfiguring antenna designs, and integration of shield components to prevent coupling and detuning of signal inputs and transmissions in conventional antenna systems, a need to solve such and other limitations and issues persist.
Conventional waveguide antennas typically employing one or more slotted input arrays have, in the past, been utilized in large scale equipment, including navigation and radar systems for aircraft and backhaul transmission systems. Such large bulky waveguide antennas have not been well suited to small electronic devices.
Conventional waveguides utilized in such systems are conventionally cylindrical coaxial cables which operate in the dominant TEM mode and employ multiple apertures spaced along the waveguide guide length at particular intervals. Although such known waveguide antenna systems address issues with coupling and detuning, size and shapes limitations have precluded their adaptation to many wireless electronic devices, which are becoming increasingly more compact. Size and such other limitations of conventional waveguide geometric configurations, as well as patterns or modes associated with conventional waveguide antennas have stymied integration of waveguide antenna systems in many electronic devices, including but not limited to personal or consumer electronic devices such as, for example, mobile smartphones, smartwatches, MP3 players, wearable electronics and other such devices. The present invention as described below provides solutions and design alternatives addressing such limitations and drawbacks of the prior art.